Hygienic syringe



Aug. 20, 1957 WI O ETAL 2,803,249

HYGIENIC SYRINGE 2 Sheet s-Sheet l Filed Aug. 26, 1953 Aug. 20, 1957 E. M. WILSON ETAL HYGIENIC SYRINGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 26. 1953 5 00 mm m WW8 J 2,803,249 HYGIENIC SYRINGE Eldon M. Wilson, La Canada, and John V. Barnes, Glendale, Calif., assignors to Barclay Pharmaceutical Products Co., Pasadena, Calif., a Nevada corporation Application August 26, 1953, Serial No. 37 6,614

2 Claims. (Cl. 128-225) This invention relates to Syringes for use in administering antiseptic or medicated solutions in feminine hygiene, and may be regarded as dealing with improvements in the device disclosed in'application Serial No. 109,184 filed August 8, 1949 now Patent No. 2,649,089 by John E. Fallon for Hygienic Syringe.

Briefly stated, such devices comprise an elongated vesse'l, open at one end, for containing a measured quantity of water, a closure cap for the open end, a means on the cap for supporting a gas generating tablet containing any desired medicaments, and capable of generating gas upon being wetted, and an outlet and control valve for controlling release of the liquid under pressure generated by the dissolved tablet.

A difficulty ex erienced in the past'with such devices has been failure of the generated gas to drive out the entire liquid contents of the vessel, and a primary object of the invention is the provision of a novel syringe of the type mentioned having provision for sustaining the gas pressure so as to assure complete evacuation of the vessel.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view, partly in longitudinal section, showing an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view taken from Fig. l but showing another operating position of the parts;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an end elevational view of the cap; and

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of the cap showing the valve operating means and illustrating the manner of use.

In the drawings, numeral 10 designates generally a cylindrical transparent plastic vessel, having a hemispherical closure 11 at one end, and open and provided with exterior threads at its opposite end, as indicated at 12.

A plastic molded cap 14 has a cylindrical side wall 15 formed at one end with interior threads 16 by which it may be joined to the threaded end of the vessel, a gasket being used at 17. A head wall 18 extends across this peripheral wall 15, and is furnished with internally serrated arcuate lugs 19 adapted to receive and frictionally hold the gas generating tablet, indicated in dot-dash lines at 20. Steps 21 space the tablet from the wall 15 and assure circulation of water underneath the tablet to hasten dissolving.

Integral with and on the outer side of the wall 18 is a transverse tubular structure 24 comprising a section 25 formed with a valve plunger bore 26 extending and opening, laterally through the peripheral wall 15 of the cap, a central section 27 having a reduced bore 28, and a section 29 forming a cavity 30 for a coil spring 31 which acts against the disk-like head 32 of a valve 33.

United States Patent 0 2,893,249 Patented Aug. 20, 1957 This valve 33 has a fluted guide stem 34 extending from its head 32, and is equipped with a rubber O-ring 35 positioned adjacent the head '32 and adapted to seat against the fiat annular seating shoulder 36 at the juncture of cavity 30 with bore 28, the spring acting to hold the valve normally closed.

A square orifice plate 40 is seated against a square shoulder 41 at the bottom of a square sink 42 in Wall 18, so that the outer face of the orifice plate is flush with the outer face of wall 18, and the wall 18 is apertured into cavity 30 inside the shoulder 41. Later de scribed orifices in theplate 40 pass fluid from the interior of the vessel 10 into the cavity 30.

A tubular liquid discharge stem 50 extends fromsection 27, and connected thereto is rubber tube 51 equipped at the end with applicator nozzle 52.

A valve plunger 60 has a tubular part 61 adapted for sliding movement in bore 26, a reduced tubular part 62, adapted for sliding movement in bore 28, and a valve actuating pin 63 at its inner extremity adapted' to engage the end of fluted valve stem 34. At its outer extremity the plunger has an enlarged arcuate head 64, of the same curvature as the cap wall 15, and of elliptical outline (Fig. 7). This head is received within an elliptical flange 65 formed on the side wall of the cap. a

An O-ring 66 surrounds plunger part 62 and seats in the position shown to seal against escape of liquid past plunger part 61. A pin 67 set tightly into member 25 engages in a longitudinal guide slot 68 in plunger part 61 to axially guide the plunger and provide a limit stop for plunger movement.

The device is used as follows. The vessel 10 is first held with its open mouth up and is filled with the necessary quantity of water. The cap is then screwed in place, a gas tablet being first introduced between the lugs 19. The device is then inverted, permitting the water to reach and dissolve the gas generating tablet. When the tablet is dissolved, the device is ready for use, and the liquid, under suitable internal gas pressure, is discharged by depressing the head 64 of the valve actuating plunger (Fig. 7), so as to unseat valve 33 against its closing spring. Liquid under pressure is then discharged through the orifice plate, cavity 30, past the valve, and out the tubular stem, rubber tube, and applicator.

The orifice plate is designed, among other things, to reduce the discharge pressure to a safe value, for example, of one and one-half pounds per square inch (assuming a generated pressure of forty pounds per square inch). The orifices have also an additional important function, being so designed as to sustain the discharge pressure as the liquid contents are discharged and so assure complete evacuation of the vessel. This important result is achieved by utilizing one or more, preferably two, fine bore orifices, in combination with one or more, preferably two, larger orifices. In the illustrative embodiment, I employ two cylindrical gas releasing orifices 80, of approximately pin-hole size, or very slightly larger, at about & spacing, located in the orifice plate so as to discharge into the cavity 30 at the end of the latter remote from the discharge valve, and the principal function of these orifices appears to be release of gas from the liquid. In addition, there are two larger rectangular orifices 81, cut into the edges of the orifice plate toward its other end, so as to discharge into cavity 30 in proximity to the discharge valve. The principle function of these orifices 81 appears to be controlled liquid discharge at reduced pressure. These give the desired results, sustaining the discharge pressure to complete evacuation of the vessel. While I am not entirely certain of the explanation, I believe it to be as follows: The gasi'entrained in the liquid is released from the liquid into'the chamber 30 upon passing through the fine bore orifices 80. There is thus created an auxiliary gas pressure source within the chamber 30. This auxiliary gas pressure source acts as a booster, driving the liquid out through the rubber tube and applicator, and at the same time creating an aspiration which aids in drawing the liquid through the larger'orifices 81. As a matter of fact, the gas pressure so developed as a result of the fine gas release orifices is suflicient to assure complete evacuation of the vessel, where this would not occur in the absence of such booster action. Equivalents for the fine orifices might be substituted, such as a plurality of fine points, or the like. Broadly, the fine orifices 80 may be regarded as gas releasers, producing a prolonged gas pressure to remove all of the liquid from the vessel.

The drawings and description will be understood to be illustrative only, and various changes in design, structure and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A cap for the mouth of a vessel of a pressurized hygenic syringe, comprising a wall structure forming a chamber, a valve-controlled liquid discharge outlet leading exteriorly of the cap from said chamber, there being at least one liquid discharge orifice in said structure communicating the mouth of said vessel with said chamber, and atleast one gas generating liquid orifice, of substantially smaller size than said first mentioned orifice, between the mouth of said vessel and said chamber, whereby a main flow of liquid occurs from said vessel to said chamber via the discharge orifice of larger size under pressure of gas generated in said vessel, and an auxiliary booster pressure is created in said chamber by release of gas from said liquid in passing through said smaller sized orifice, in such a manner as to assure substantially complete evacuation of said vessel.

2.'A cap for the mouth of a vessel of a pressurized hygenic syringe, comprising a wall structure forming a chamber, a valve-controlled liquid outlet leading exteriorly of the cap from said chamber, there being at least one liquid discharge orifice in said structure communicating the mouth of said vessel with a predetermined point in said chamber in proximity to said valve-controlled discharge passage, and at least one gas generating liquid orifice, of substantially smaller size than said first mentioned orifice, between the mouth of said vessel and a second predetermined point in said chamber located more remote from said valve controlled outlet than said predetermined point of communication of the first mentioned on'fice with said chamber, whereby a main flow of liquid occurs from said vessel to said chamber via the discharge orifice of larger size under pressure of gas generated in said vessel, and an auxiliary booster pressure source is created in said chamber in back of the liquid flowing thereto via the larger orifice by release of gas from said liquid in passing through said smaller sized orifice, in such manner as to assure substantially complete evacuation of said vessel.

Bergl July 2, 1929 Fallon Aug. 18, 1953 

